The present invention relates generally to medical devices. More particularly, the invention relates to methods and devices for augmenting blood flow to a patient""s vasculature. More particularly, the invention relates to apparatus and methods that provide partial obstruction (xe2x80x9ccoarctationxe2x80x9d) to aortic blood flow to augment cerebral perfusion in patients with global or focal ischemia. The devices and methods also provide mechanisms for continuous constriction and variable blood flow through the aorta.
Patients experiencing cerebral ischemia often suffer from disabilities ranging from transient neurological deficit to irreversible damage (stroke) or death. Cerebral ischemia, i.e., reduction or cessation of blood flow to the central nervous system, can be characterized as either global or focal. Global cerebral ischemia refers to reduction of blood flow within the cerebral vasculature resulting from systemic circulatory failure caused by, e.g., shock, cardiac failure, or cardiac arrest. Shock is the state in which failure of the circulatory system to maintain adequate cellular perfusion results in reduction of oxygen and nutrients to tissues. Within minutes of circulatory failure, tissues become ischemic, particularly in the heart and brain.
The most common form of shock is cardiogenic shock, which results from severe depression of cardiac performance. The most frequent cause of cardiogenic shock is myocardial infarction with loss of substantial muscle mass. Pump failure can also result from acute myocarditis or from depression of myocardial contractility following cardiac arrest or prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass. Mechanical abnormalities, such as severe valvular stenosis, massive aortic or mitral regurgitation, acutely acquired ventricular septal defects, can also cause cardiogenic shock by reducing cardiac output. Additional causes of cardiogenic shock include cardiac arrhythmia, such as ventricular fibrillation.
Treatment of global cerebral ischemia involves treating the source of the systemic circulatory failure and ensuring adequate perfusion to the central nervous system. For example, treatment of cardiogenic shock due to prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass consists of cardiovascular support with the combination of inotropic agents such as dopamine, dobutamine, or amrinone and intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation. Vasoconstrictors, such as norepinephrine, are also administered systemically to maintain systolic blood pressure (at approximately above 80 mmHg). Unfortunately, these agents produce a pressure at the expense of flow, particularly blood flow to small vessels such as the renal arteries. The use of the vasoconstrictors is, therefore, associated with significant side effects, such as acute renal failure.
Focal cerebral ischemia refers to cessation or reduction of blood flow within the cerebral vasculature resulting from a partial or complete occlusion in the intracranial or extracranial cerebral arteries. Such occlusion typically results in stroke, a syndrome characterized by the acute onset of a neurological deficit that persists for at least 24 hours, reflecting focal involvement of the central nervous system and is the result of a disturbance of the cerebral circulation. Other causes of focal cerebral ischemia include vasospasm due to subarachnoid hemorrhage or iatrogenic intervention.
Traditionally, emergent management of acute ischemic stroke consists of mainly general supportive care, e.g. hydration, monitoring neurological status, blood pressure control, and/or anti-platelet or anti-coagulation therapy. Heparin has been administered to stroke patients with limited and inconsistent effectiveness. In some circumstances, the ischemia resolves itself over a period of time due to the fact that some thrombi get absorbed into the circulation, or fragment and travel distally over a period of a few days. In June 1996, the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) or Activase(copyright), for treating acute stroke. However, treatment with systemic t-PA is associated with increased risk of intracerebral hemorrhage and other hemorrhagic complications. Aside from the administration of thrombolytic agents and heparin, there are no therapeutic options currently on the market for patients suffering from occlusion focal cerebral ischemia. Vasospasm may be partially responsive to vasodilating agents. The newly developing field of neurovascular surgery, which involves placing minimally invasive devices within the carotid arteries to physically remove the offending lesion may provide a therapeutic option for these patients in the future, although this kind of manipulation may lead to vasospasm itself.
In both global and focal ischemia, patients develop neurologic deficits due to the reduction in cerebral blood flow. Treatments should include measures to increase blood flow to the cerebral vasculature to maintain viability of neural tissue, thereby increasing the length of time available for interventional treatment and minimizing neurologic deficit while waiting for resolution of the ischemia. Augmenting blood flow to the cerebral vasculature is not only useful in treating cerebral ischemia, but may also be useful during interventional procedures, such as carotid angioplasty, stenting or endarterectomy, which might otherwise result in focal cerebral ischemia, and also cardiac procedures which may result in global cerebral ischemia, such as cardiac catheterization, electrophysiologic studies, and angioplasty.
New devices and methods are thus needed for augmentation of cerebral blood flow in treating patients with either global or focal ischemia caused by reduced perfusion, thereby minimizing neurologic deficits.
The invention provides vascular constriction devices and methods for augmenting blood flow to a patient""s cerebral vasculature, including the carotid and vertebral arteries. The devices constructed according to the present invention comprise a constricting mechanism distally mounted on a catheter for delivery to a vessel, such as the aorta. The constrictor is collapsed to facilitate insertion into and removal from the vessel, and expanded during use to restrict blood flow. When expanded, the constrictor has a maximum periphery that conforms to the inner wall of the vessel, thereby providing a sealed contact between it and the vessel wall. The constrictor typically has a blood conduit allowing blood flow from a location upstream to a location downstream. The devices further include a variable flow mechanism in operative association with the blood conduit, thereby allowing blood flow through the conduit to be adjusted and controlled. The devices can optionally include a manometer and/or pressure limiter to provide feedback to the variable flow mechanism for precise control of the upstream and downstream blood pressure. Other medical devices, such as an infusion, atherectomy, angioplasty, hypothermia catheters or devices (selective cerebral hypothermia with or without systemic hypothermia, and typically hypothermia will be combined with measures to increase perfusion to overcome the decreased cerebral blood flow caused by the hypothermia, such that hypothermia and coarctation are complimentary), or electrophysiologic study (EPS) catheter, can be introduced through the constrictor to insert in the vessel to provide therapeutic interventions at any site rostrally.
In a preferred embodiment, the expandable constrictor comprises an outer conical shell and an inner conical shell. Each shell has an apex and an open base to receive blood flow. One or a plurality of ports traverses the walls of the two conical shells. Blood flows through the open base and through the ports. The inner shell can be rotated relative to the outer shell so that the ports align or misalign with the ports in the outer shell to allow variable blood flow past the occluder, thereby providing adjustable and controlled flow. The inner shell is rotated by a rotating mechanism, e.g., a torque cable disposed within the elongate tube and coupled to the inner shell. The constrictor can be expanded by, e.g., a resilient pre-shaped ring, graduated rings, or a beveled lip formed at the base of the shell, and collapsed by, e.g., pull wires distally affixed to the occluder or a guide sheath.
In another embodiment, the outer conical shell includes a plurality of resilient flaps, which are pivotally affixed to the base or the apex and can be displaced to variably control blood flow through the conduit. The flaps can be displaced by a plurality of pull wires affixed to the flaps.
In still another embodiment, the constrictor comprises a first cylindrical balloon mounted to a distal end of the catheter, and a second toroidal balloon disposed about the cylindrical balloon. The chamber of the first balloon communicates with an inflation lumen. Blood flow occurs through the cylindrical balloon and through the center of the toroidal balloon. The toroidal balloon is expanded by inflation through a second and independent inflation lumen to reduce blood flow through the cylindrical balloon. In this manner, the first balloon provides an inflatable sleeve and the second toroidal balloon provides variable control of blood flow through the sleeve. Other embodiments include an expandable sleeve (not a balloon) surrounded by a toroidal balloon for adjustably constricting the flow of blood through the cylindrical sleeve.
In a preferred method, the occlusion devices described above are inserted into the descending aorta through an incision on a peripheral artery, such as the femoral, subclavian, axillary or radial artery, in a patient suffering from global or focal cerebral ischemia, during cardiac surgery (including any operation on the heart, with or without CPB), or during aortic surgery (during circulatory arrest, as for aortic arch surgery, repair of an abdominal aortic aneurysm, or thoracic aneurysm repair, to reduce perfusion and the amount of blood loss in the operating field). The devices can be introduced over a guide wire. With assistance of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), aortic arch cutaneous ultrasound, or angiogram, the constrictor is positioned downstream from the takeoff of the brachiocephalic artery and upstream from the renal arteries. The constrictor is expanded to partially occlude blood flow in the aorta and maintained during systole, during diastole, or during systole and diastole. The constrictor preferably achieves continuous apposition to the wall of the vessel, resulting in fewer emboli dislodgment. The pressure limiter, connected to the rotary unit and the pressure monitor, prevents the upstream and downstream blood pressure from exceeding, respectively, a set maximum and minimum pressure differential.
Flow rates can be varied within one cardiac cycle (e.g., 80% during systole, 20% during diastole, or 70% during systole, 30% during diastole), and every few cycles or seconds (e.g., 80% for 6 cycles, 20% for 2 cycles, or 70% for 5 cycles, 10% for 1 cycle). In certain cases it may be preferred to cycle to cycle between lesser and greater occlusion so that the brain does not autoregulate. This ensures constant and continued increased cerebral perfusion. In this manner, blood in the descending aorta is diverted to the cerebral vasculature, thereby increasing cerebral perfusion and minimizing neurological deficits. By selectively increasing cerebral blood flow, the use of systemically administered vasoconstrictors or inotropic agents to treat shock may be reduced or eliminated.
In another method, in patients anticipating a major cardiothoracic surgery, such as abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, the device is introduced and deployed approximately 24 hours prior to surgery, thereby inducing mild artificial spinal ischemia. This induces endogenous neuroprotective agents to be released by the spinal cord and/or brain in response to the ischemia, thereby protecting the tissue from ischemic insult of surgery. This technique is known as xe2x80x9cconditioningxe2x80x9d. The devices are inserted into the descending aorta. To induce spinal ischemia, the constrictor is positioned downstream from the takeoff of the brachiocephalic artery and upstream from the renal artery and expanded to partially occlude blood flow in the aorta, resulting in reduction of blood flow to the spinal cord. A similar technique may be employed to condition the brain to stimulate production of neuroprotective agents. To induce cerebral ischemia, the constrictor is positioned upstream from the takeoff of the innominate artery, or between the innominate artery and the left common carotid artery.
Prolonged hypertension often causes ischemic damage to the kidneys. In still another method, the partial occlusion devices are introduced peripherally and positioned in the renal arteries to reduce blood pressure to the renal vasculature, thereby minimizing damage to the kidneys that might otherwise result from hypertension.
It will be understood that there are many advantages in using the partial aortic occlusion devices and methods disclosed herein. For example, the devices can be used (1) to provide variable partial occlusion of a vessel; (2) to augment and maintain cerebral perfusion in patients suffering from global or focal ischemia; (3) to condition the brain or spinal cord to secrete neuroprotective agents prior to a major surgery which will necessitate reduced cerebral or spinal perfusion; (4) to prolong the therapeutic window in global or focal ischemia; (5) to accommodate other medical devices, such as an atherectomy catheter; (6) prophylactically by an interventional radiologist, neuroradiologist, or cardiologist in an angiogram or fluoroscopy suite; (7) for prevention of cerebral ischemia in patients undergoing procedures, such as coronary catheterization or surgery, where cardiac output might fall as a result of arrhythmia, myocardial infarction or failure; (8) to treat shock, thereby eliminating or reducing the use of systemic vasoconstrictors; and (8) to prevent renal damage in hypertensives.